Serge Alexandrovich Koussevitzky was born July 26, 1874 to a poor Jewish family in what is now Tver Oblast Russia – about 155 miles northwest of Moscow. His parents were professional musicians who taught him violin, cello and piano. He was baptized at the age of 14 since Jews were not allowed to live in Moscow, and he had been awarded a scholarship to the Musico-Dramatic Institute of the Moscow Philharmonic Society. He became a successful bassist and married dancer Nadezhda Galat in 1902.
In 1909 he became a music publisher and gathered works of the greats of his time including: Sergei Prokofiev, Igor Stravinsky, and Rachmaninoff. He continued to conduct and perform as well.
In 1920 he left the then Soviet Union for posts in Paris and Berlin and in 1924 he left for the United States replacing Pierre Monteux as conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He was renowned for his recordings and concerts. He was a champion of new music and promising young musicians. Leonard Bernstein was a protégé.
From Surveys Completed 2011-2012 by the Lenox Historical Commission
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION:
This is a 2-story, 5-bay, center entrance, wood-framed house designed in the Colonial Revival style. It has a hipped roof with asphalt shingles, modillions on the eaves, dentil bands on the cornices throughout, and several dormers. Porches have standing seam metal roofing. There are six large brick chimneys. It is clad with wood clapboard and shingles with corner pilasters. Fluted pilasters delineate the central entrance bay—a front gabled dormer is centered above, while a porte-cochere extends forward of it. The porte-cochere is supported by fluted Ionic columns and fluted pilasters. A 2-story, slightly recessed ell off the right side has gabled wings off its front and rear. A 2-story turret is nestled between it and the main section. It has a curved porch with three Doric columns that extends forward to be flush with the front facade. There is a double gabled dormer on the right side. The left facade has a Palladian window at mid-floor level (indicating a stair landing on the interior) that is flanked by two 1-story canted bay windows. Centered on the roof above is a hipped dormer. A glazed sunporch off the rear is topped by smaller gable-roofed second story room. Intact 6-o-6 windows have substantial molded headers and authentic wood window blinds. The foundation is stone. A circular driveway that runs in front of the house and under the porte-cochere is accessed from Yokun Avenue. An in-ground swimming pool is located behind and right of the house and garage. The property is heavily wooded with mature coniferous, deciduous and ornamental trees and shrubs, particularly along the property boundaries.
NOTE: This property was once part of Dr. R. C. Greenleaf Jr.’s estate per the 1876 Beers Map.
HISTORICAL NARRATIVE:
The home named “Rocklawn” was built in 1886 by Mr. & Mrs. William Bacon as a summer residence.
The Chain of Title forward is as follows:
1922 Mr. & Mrs. George Higginsons Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Charles Whipple.
1969 Mr. & Mrs. Desmond Tivy
1977 Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Skinner
1986 David Hurwitz and Carolyn Dubrofsky
1990 Eugene P. Nesbada
1996 Reid White
BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES:
1876 Beers Map
Lenox Town Hall Records
Lenox: Massachusetts Shire Town, David Wood, p. 199
From Surveys Completed 2011-2012 by the Lenox Historical Commission
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION:
This Gothic Revival style building has two stories, an asphalt shingle roof and has been altered. It has a two-bay; wood frame; front gable roof; large brick center chimney; wood clapboard siding; front entry porch with steeply pitched gable roof with decorative trip in gable supported by four chamfered pillars; balcony above front porch with geometric railing; door surround with two-light transom; double entrance doors. It has a two-story box oriel on front facade (base tapers in from top to bottom). There is a large two-story rear ell with gable roof and interior brick chimney. There is a two-story rear lean-to at inside corner on right side of main house and rear ell. There is a two-story recessed, cross-gabled wing on the left side with shed-roofed porch on front, three turned.
Design is not Stick Style; details cited in original B form are common to both Gothic Revival & Queen Anne styles.
HISTORICAL NARRATIVE:
This house was built for Thomas Post, listed in the 1885 directory as lawyer, Justice of the Peace, Postmaster, telegraph operator and farmer. He was also a State Senator and “trusted counselor of all this region.”[1] He owned the entire lot up to Hubbard Street. He was in part responsible for the development of the Maple-Ash-Reynolds Street area, as he sold off his land in house lots in the 1890’s and early 20th century. Post, who had his law office in the Lenox Library (the second county courthouse), lived there until his death in 1913 when the property was inherited by his widow, Elizabeth.
After subsequent changes in ownership the building was sold to Timothy E. Blair in 1998. It is currently divided into six apartments.
BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES:
Lenox Assessor’s Report
County Atlas of Berkshire, Mass., F.W. Beers, 1876
Atlas of Berkshire County, Mass., Barnes and Farnham, 1904
Sanborn Maps: 1898, 1905, 1911
Gazetter of Berkshire County, Mass. 1727-1885, Hamilton Child, 1885
Lenox Assessor’s database 2012
[1] New England Magazine, “The Church on the Lenox Hilltop and Round About It,” Frederick Lynch, October 1900, vol. 23, p. 210
This Italianate style building has three stories, an asphalt shingle roof and has been minimally altered. The first floor has three-bays and a center entrance. On the upper floors there are five bays. It is brick construction laid up in plain bond with red mortar. It has a flat roof with two tiers of brick corbelling for cornice, above a projecting belt course. There are brick piers at corners and flanking center bay with a projecting belt course between the first and second floors. There is stone banding at second floor window sill level. There are arched window openings on the upper floors with soldier course headers. There are stone window sills on the left side with cast stone window sills on the right side. There are three brick pilasters on the right side and two centered on the left side. There is a recessed center entrance with Roman-arched opening which is flanked by two storefronts, each with recessed entrances between display windows. There are tall, narrow display windows that wrap around the corner–one each side. The center entrance has double doors with one-light windows and paneling below. There is a concrete foundation and a brick-walled courtyard behind the building.
HISTORICAL NARRATIVE:
This commercial block was built by William Mahanna, who was also responsible for other commercial structures in Lenox, including the Mahanna Hotel (50 Church Street). In 1909 fire swept through Lenox’s business section destroying most of the wood-frame buildings. The brick Mahanna Block survived, although the interior was gutted by the fire (The Berkshire Eagle, April 12, 1909).
Currently the building is used for stores, offices and apartments and since 1998 has been owned by Bruni Butschek-Beckmann.
Serge Alexandrovich Koussevitzky was born July 26, 1874 to a poor Jewish family in what is now Tver Oblast Russia – about 155 miles northwest of Moscow. His parents were professional musicians who taught him violin, cello and piano. He was baptized at the age of 14 since Jews were not allowed to live in Moscow, and he had been awarded a scholarship to the Musico-Dramatic Institute of the Moscow Philharmonic Society. He became a successful bassist and married dancer Nadezhda Galat in 1902.
